Three New Microbe Species Named After Rush

According to the University of British Columbia, the trio of microbes was found in the guts of termites and sport long hair and have a tendency to move rhythmically under a microscope. The researchers called the new Pseudotrichonympha species P. leei, P. lifesoni, and P. pearti after Rush's Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

Patrick Keeling, a University of British Columbia microbiologist and senior author of a paper about the new species, said he was asked by a Spanish colleague to recommend "some good Canadian music, and I suggested he listen to Rush,” he explained. “He came back to me and said, ‘Those microbes we’re finding have long hair like the guys on the album 2112!’”

The recently discovered microbes are covered with flagella, the long threads cells use to move. The university's report notes that many cells have a few flagella, but this new species boasts more than 10,000 "very long flagella, giving them flowing hair."

As the study in Scientific Reports points out, the three members of Rush aren't exactly the type to bust moves onstage, but their new microbe counterparts "sway their bodies in microscopic dances." The one named after Peart, particularly, features a "rotating intracellular structure never seen before." “We have looked at a lot of crazy cells in my lab, and none of us has ever seen anything like this,” Keeling said.

You can watch a video on the new species above.

The real Rush, who are currently on a break that may turn out to be permanent after wrapping up what they said was a farewell tour in 2015, are releasing a 40th-anniversary deluxe version of their 1977 album A Farewell to Kings this week. The four-disc set includes a remastered version of the original record plus extras like live performances from the era and newly recorded tributes.